Improvement on Verbal section?

[Lilith]

Hi!
My friends who took MCAT before told me that it's almost impossible to improve Verbal score even if you study. The scores that one consistently gets on the practice tests is usually the test score that one will get on the actual exam. For those of who already took MCAT, could you please tell me if it's true? If it is, then I am in trouble. Any rec on how I can improve my verbal section?

Thanks.

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[indo]

Common sense and independant thinking suggest that your friends are incorrect. You just have to practice.

 

[tBw]

as indo says, your friend is wrong. There are only so many 'types' of questions the verbal passages can ask. As a result practicing makes you begin to recognise both the types of questions and even predict the likely "wrong" answers they will put in there to throw you off.

If you practice many times (and i mean many, many times) your success in that section will increase. (I took the MCAT last August).

 

[Lilith]

Thank you both. I feel better now. How do you study for Verbal? EK suggests that people write out the main ideas after they are done with of the passages. Anyone tried that and find it helpful?

 

[tBw]

When you first start working on verbal writing out the main ideas is a good idea. It helps you get in the mode of how to approach these sections. However, don't come to depend on it as during the real exam time is TIGHT! YOu do not want to have to waste it writing stuff out. So do it at first, but once you start getting the idea wean yourself off. I usually paused for just a few seconds at the end of each section to think what the main ideas were - but I didn't write them down. Just make sure you know before diving into the questions.

 

[indo]

I try to read the passages like I don't believe a word of what I'm reading. It seems to help on the questions where they ask "if x piece of new information was shown to the author it would support or hurt..."

Usually 2 of the answeres are obviously wrong and 1 is only slightly wrong. Try looking for the three wrong answers if you don't know the right answer right away.

 

[fun8stuff]

great advice indo and tbw; I agree 100%

 

[Ramoray]

Well i have and always will suck at verbal, i got a 6 my first mcat. I retook with no practice and got an 8. I realized on my third try i MUST improve that verbal so i studied my assss off for verbal and i will let you know when the april scores get back if you can indeed improve your score. I read for hours each day, did a full lenth almost every day.. so ill let u know how effective hardcore verbal studying is! i know it can be done. i think some people just arent good at thoe reading comp types of tests. like i totaly understood everythign i read, i was decently fast yet i just was not great at them. go figure. id ont know i hate ****ing verbal

 

[Lilith]

Thanks again, everyone. I will go hit my EK 101 Passages now.

 

[daktar]

Originally posted by Ramoray
Well i have and always will suck at verbal, i got a 6 my first mcat. I retook with no practice and got an 8. I realized on my third try i MUST improve that verbal so i studied my assss off for verbal and i will let you know when the april scores get back if you can indeed improve your score. I read for hours each day, did a full lenth almost every day.. so ill let u know how effective hardcore verbal studying is! i know it can be done. i think some people just arent good at thoe reading comp types of tests. like i totaly understood everythign i read, i was decently fast yet i just was not great at them. go figure. id ont know i hate ****ing verbal

I know a guy who got a 6 on the verbal both times he took the MCAT. The guy cannot read (that's what he says). He says his level of reading is that of a 6th grader(he's dyslexic). Well...he's currently a doctor (director of the ER). and has a PhD in anatomy and one of the brightest ppl i've ever met

 

[curiousforever]

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